Chief Defender in Highly Political Proceedings Needs to Act as an Intermediary for the State

JINAN, China—Heading the legal defense team for Bo Xilai, the former Communist Party highflier, may not seem like the best career move for a Chinese lawyer. Courts here are tightly controlled by the party and a guilty verdict in Mr. Bo's trial, which begins Thursday, is almost a foregone conclusion.

Yet lawyers and legal experts say that for Li Guifang, Mr. Bo's chief defense lawyer, the case isn't about winning over a jury—there...